Automatic blow-out preventer



May 15, 1923. 1,455,731

, T. J. KELLY 6 AUTOMATIC BLOW-OUT PREVENTER Filed Jan. 21, 1922 I if 1 25 v H A 2 s 2/ :m 1 mm i 1 I 33 33 J W i i E Patented May 15, 1923.

THOMAS J. KELLY, DE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC aLow-ou'r rnnvnnrna.

- Application filed January 21, 1922. Serial No. 530,926.

To allwhom it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS J. KELLY, a citiz en of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Blow- Out Preventers, of-which the following is. a specification.

. My invention relates to blow out preventers for wells, and the purpose of my invention is the provision of a' blow out preventer which operates automatically to prevent the ejection of the drill pipe and other drilling apparatus from a well when unexpected and extremely high gas pressures exist.

It is also the purpose of my invention to provide a blow out preventer which in addition to being automatic in its operation can also be operated by mechanism under manua1 control so as to anticipate a high gas pressure.

I will describe one" form of blow out preventer embo ying" my invention and will then point on the novel features thereof in claims In the accompanying drawings, 2

Figure 1 is a viewshowing in side elevation and partly in section one form of blow out preventer embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4 -4 of Figure 3.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in each of the several views.

Referring specifically to the drawings and particularly to Figure 1, my invention in its 9 present embodiment comprises a housing designated at H adapted to be sustained upon a well casing W and firmly secured against upward-movement with respect to the mouth of the well by brace rods R connected to the upper end of the housing and anchored ,within a suitable base B, the latter surrounding the mouth of the well and provided with an opening through which the well casing extends, as will be understood. The usual drill pipe I) extends through the housing H and intothe well casing W, while above the housing and surrounding the drill pipe is a platform P constituting a part of the usual super-structure 5 or rigglng of a drilling mechanism,

tions 15 and 16.

pered form, with the bore of the rings 23 and clamping of As clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4, the housing H is constructed of two sections 15 and 16 having flanges 17 through which bolts extend for securing the sections 'in housing formation. Packing strips 18 are interposed between the sections for rendering themfiuid tight, and as shown in Figure 3 the sections are so formed as to provide a chamber 19 of conical form, and a second chamber 20 below and communicating with the first chamber. 7 The chamber 19 is adapted to receive the drill pipe D while the chamber 20 receives the well casing W, the latter chamber being formed to accommodate the union 21 of the well casing and provided with packing rings 22 to prevent leakage from the housing around the well casing.

The sections 15 and 16 of the housing H are adapted to be constricted to effect the secure clamping of the well casing W by means of constricting rings 23 and 24 threadedly mounted upon collars 25 and 26, respectively. formed on the opposite ends of the sec- These collars are of ta- 24 of a corresponding shapev so that when the rings are fed inwardly upon the collars, a 1 drawing together of the two sections is effected. It is to be understood that the the sections in this constricted osition is effected through the medium of the bolts and flanges 17. A collar 25 is threadedly fitted in the upper ends of the sections15 and 16 to provide additional connecting means for the housing, and discharge ports 25 are formed in the sections as clearly shown in Figure 4.

Within the chamber 19 are slidably mounted a pair of semi-circular slips 27 and 28 which cooperate to provide a bore which is of substantially uniform diameter and through which the drill pipe I) is adapted to extend: The walls of the'bore are serrated as indicated at 29," and also provided with clamping rings arranged in the manner shown. The serrated portions and the rings cooperate in rendering the slips responsive to excessive gas pressures and in efi'ectively gripping the drill pipe to prevent upward movement of the latter as will be more fully described hereinafter. The peripheries of the slips 27 and 28 are of conical form and are adapted for sliding contact with guides 31 secured to the wall of the chamber 19 having slips 27 and 28 a ring 32 is arranged, and

connected to this ring are plungers 33 slidably mounted in openings 34 formed in the housing H. The openings 34 have their lower ends connected withpipes 35 (Figure 1), and these pipes 35 constitute branches of a fluid supply pipe 36 which is adapted to connected to a suitable source of steam, compressed air orany other desirable form f expansible fluid.

The operation of the blow out preventer is as follows: When an excessive gas pressure occurs in a well, the gas passes upwardly through the well casing to efl'ect an ejection of the drill pipe D, but because of the serrations 29 and the rings 30, together with the ring 32, the gas acts on these'surfaces in effecting an elevation of the slips 27 and 28 to the upper end of the housing. By virtue of the conical form of the slips and the chamber 19, it will be clear that the slips during the upward movement are constricted to effeet a secure clamping of the drill "pipe, thus preventing its ejection from the housin This operation is manifestly automatic thereby eliminating the necessity of the constant'attention of an operator to the apparatus. With the slips in their uppermost position, it will be clear that the upper end of the housing iscompletely-closed so that'the scope of the appended well fluids are forced to leave the housing through the ports 25", and as shown in Figure 1, pipes are connected to the ports for conveying the fluids to a suitable storage receptacle (not shown). If an excessive gas pressure is anticipated, the movement of the slips to clamping position with respect to the drill pipe can be readily effected by admitting an expansible fluid to the branch pipes 35 through the pipe 36. This fluid acts upon the plu'ngers 33 to elevate the ring 32 and consequently the slips position with respect to the drill pipe thus preventing ejection of the drill pipe from the housing.

Although I have herein shown and described-only one form of blow out preventer embodying my invention, it isto be understood that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the spirit of the invention and the spirit and claims.

What I claim 1s:

1. A blow out preventer comprising a housing through which a drill pipe is adapt- I ed to extend, means for anchoring the housing, and means operating to prevent ejection .of the drill pipe upwardly from the hous- 2. A blow out preventer comprising a housing through which a drill pipe is adapt ed to extend, means for anchoring the housing, and means operable by excessive gas to clamping pressures traversing the housing for preventing the ejection of the drill pipe from the housing.

3. A blow out preventer comprising a 'housing through which a drill pipe is adapted to extend, means for anchoring the housing, means operable by excessive gas pressures traversing the housing for preventing the ejection of ing, and manually controlled means for actuating the last means independently of the gas pressure.

4. A blow out housing having adapted to recelve preventer comprising a a conical chamber and a drill pipe, and conical the drill pipe from the housslips arranged in the chamber and adapted to respond to the action of excessive gas pressures traversing the housing to effect a gripping of the drill ejection of the latter from the housing.

5. A blow out preventer comprising a housing having a conical chamber and adapted to receive a drillpipe, conical slips arranged in the chamber and adapted to respond to the action sures traversing the housing to efiect a gripping of the drill pipe in preventing ejection of the latter from the housing,- and fluid of excessive gas prespipe in preventing operated means for moving the slips in grip-.

ping position with respect to the drill pipe independently of the gas premure.

6. A blow out preventer comprising a sectional housing formed therein through which a drill pipe is adapted to extend, means for constricting the sections of the housing to effect the secure clamping of a well casing, means for anchoring the housing against upward movement with respect to a well, and means within the chamber for automatically. grip ping the drill pipe whenan" excessive gas pressure occurs therein to prevent ejection ejection of the latter from p the housing. 7. A blow out preventer comprisin a sectional housing having a, comcal c amber a drill pipe formed therein through which is adapted to extend, means for constricting the sections cure clampingof a well casing means for anchoring the housing againstupward movement with respect to a within the chamber for automatically gripping the drill pipe when an excessive 5.

pressure occurs therein toprevent ejection manually controlled means for actuating the last means in anticipating an excessive gas pressure. p

8. A blow out preventer comprisin' a sectional housing having a comcal c mbr having a conical chamber of the housing to effect the seg well, means formed therein through which a drill'pi'pe is adapted to extend, means for constricting the sections of the housing to efiect the secure clamping of a well casing, means for anchoring of the drill pipe from the housing, and

e o sing against upward movement with respect to a well, and slips of conical form slidably mounted in the chamber and normally occupying non-gripping positions with respect to the drill pipe, said slips having roughened inner surfaces to cause movement of the slips to gripping position with respect to the drill pipe when an excessive gas pressure exists in the housing.

9. A blow out preventer comprisin a sectional housing having a conical c amber formed therein through which a drill pipe is adapted to extend, means for constricting the sections of the housing to effect the secure clamping of a well casing, means for anchoring the housing against upward movement with respect to a well, slips of conical form slidably mounted in the chamber and normally occupying non-grippin positions with respect to the drill pipe, sai slips having roughened inner surfaces to cause movering, and means for admitting a fluid under pressure to the plungers whereby the latter are caused to effect an elevation of the ring and a similar movement of the slips to cause the latter to occupy gripping positions with respect to the drill pipe.

10. A blow out preventer comprising a housing through which a drill pipe is adapted to extend, and means operable byexcessive gas pressures traversing the housing for preventing ejection of the drill pipe and the well fluids upwardly from thehousing.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

THOMAS J. KELLY. 

